• Sabalenka digs deep to beat wildcard Boulter, Andreescu fails to break Wimbledon jinx, Jabeur beats Venus Williams
Top seed Novak Djokovic has begun Wimbledon like a man on a mission, which considering the history the Serb is trying to create, should come as no surprise.
The 34-year-old described his 6-3 6-3 6-3 second-round win over twice Grand Slam runner-up Kevin Anderson as “almost flawless” and no one on Centre Court would disagree.
His only slight issue was keeping his feet on the still-greasy turf, but his game was at its immaculate best as he appeared to be able to land each shot on a sixpence. Djokovic made only five unforced errors in a masterful display against the South African he also beat in the 2018 final.
And while he did lose the first set of his opening round match against inspired British teenager Jack Draper, what has followed has been an ominous statement of intent.
Djokovic is not only chasing a sixth Wimbledon title and third in a row, he can also match Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal’s men’s record haul of 20 Grand Slam titles.
If that is not enough, he is also halfway to the calendar-year sweep of all four majors last achieved by Rod Laver in 1969 and could also be on for the Golden Slam if you add the Tokyo Olympics into the mix.
Quite simply, by the end of the year Djokovic could well have settled the GOAT (greatest of all-time) debate.
But we have been here before.
In 2016, Djokovic had also arrived at Wimbledon as a hot favourite having won the Australian and French Open titles that year to hold all four slams simultaneously.
Then, at Wimbledon, he was stunned by American Sam Querrey in the third round. So Djokovic will certainly not be letting his guard slip when he plays American Denis Kudla tomorrow.
Looking back to 2016, Djokovic said he had come in feeling a little deflated after the high of winning his first French Open.
“I’m going to try to learn from that experience that I had in 2016,” Djokovic, bidding to become the fifth man in history to win the first three Grand Slam tournaments of the season since Laver in 1969, told reporters.
“This time I’m probably, I would like to think, a bit wiser and a bit more experienced as a player and person. But it’s only two matches into the tournament, there’s still a long way to go.”
Anderson, on the comeback trail after knee injuries, played high-level tennis, but Djokovic broke serve with ease once in each set for a clean cut victory.
“I’ve done things on and off the court to make myself feel that I’m focused, yet at the same time calm and composed and clear with my game plan,” he said.
Only when he slipped over did he look at all ruffled, glaring angrily at the offending lawn, although he later refused to criticise the courts on which numerous players have fallen.
“Hopefully as the tournament progresses I’ll also fall less,” he said. “But I don’t mind falling more if the result is winning a match.”
Australian firebrand Nick Kyrgios also won his first match in four months.
Kyrgios, ranked 60, but a quarter-finalist on debut in 2014, won his first match since the Australian Open in February, defeating French 21st seed Ugo Humbert before declaring: “Not bad for a part-time player”.
Kyrgios triumphed 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7 in a match held over from Tuesday evening when the final set was level at 3-3.
“Ugo is an incredible kid and I knew I was a massive underdog,” said Kyrgios after firing 23 aces and 51 winners.
Kyrgios also shrugged off an ugly-looking fall in the 13th game of the final set when his right knee buckled beneath him.
In women’s section. American fourth seed Sofia Kenin was knocked out of in the second round on Wednesday, losing in just 45 minutes to compatriot Madison Brengle. Former Australian Open winner Kenin lost 6-2, 6-4 to 82nd-ranked Brengle who will face either Viktoria Golubic or Danielle Collins for a place in the last 16. Kenin committed 41 unforced errors to Brengle’s seven.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka showed exceptional grit to rally from a set down to beat British wildcard Katie Boulter in a thrilling match and reach the third round of Wimbledon for the first time.
Sabalenka’s best result at the grasscourt Grand Slam was a second-round showing on debut in 2017 as a qualifier but she bettered that with a 4-6 6-3 6-3 victory in a match lasting over two hours.
Boulter had lost in straight sets when she met Sabalenka in their only meeting at the same stage of the 2019 Australian Open but this time she came armed with better tactics, denying her opponent pace on the ball. Boulter repeatedly played the short slice to draw Sabalenka to the net only to lob her, much to the delight of the Centre Court crowd.
Fifth seeded Bianca Andreescu of Canada was knocked out 6-2, 6-1 by France’s Alize Cornet. Andreescu, the 2019 US Open champion, is still to win a main draw match at Wimbledon having lost in the first round as a qualifier in 2017.
Ons Jabeur the first Arabic woman to win a WTA tournament reached the third round for the first time yesterday beating five time champion Venus Williams 7-5, 6-0.
Williams follows her sister Serena out of the singles tournament although she will play with Nick Kyrgios in the mixed doubles.
Belarus’s Aryna Sabalenka celebrates her victory over Britain’s Katie Boulter during their singles second round match on the third day of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, yesterday. (AFP)